We have seen so much “new tech” that has come, conquered, and then become
obsolete in our lifetimes! Ask me about
the 8mm film that I converted to VHS and which I now need to convert to ??? Or, ask me about that old “deck” of my family
history created on an old Apple computer of who knows what generation back in
the 1980s. I know that I have some
floppy disks stored somewhere, slides somewhere else, memory cartridges in
another place, mini cassette tapes, and so on. Is the same true at your house?

As someone who is cleaning out her attic, I cannot tell you how much obsolete (and typically unuseable) tech I have thrown out this past week.

Now imagine that your responsibility is to make sure that priceless
history (stored on long ago and now obsolete tech) for an archive, institution,
or nation, is preserved. Doesn’t that
sound like a headache? It is.

The article talks about various media formats, software challenges,
copyright, and other issues; all extremely important to family historians. It also mentions Marion Stokes and her
collection mentioned in a recent edition of Upfront Mini Bytes and reminds us that the Internet Archive can be a
wonderful home for media (video, music, audio, and texts).

And, they are telling us now that CDs and DVDs do degrade over time and that their format is facing obsolescence. Fortunately, I back up all my “stuff” on a hard-drive and on DVDs. I also keep paper files for many things, though as I clean out the attic, I am shredding a lot of old paper. After all, how many boxes of bills, paper stubs, tax records, medical records, and more, does one really need to retain? Non-sequitor and this reminds me that I probably should create a “retention policy” for my personal papers. Have you done that?

Now let’s go back to obsolete tech and what to do about that issue. You can learn a lot on this topic and keep
informed about current practices via the Digital Preservation
webpage from The Library of Congress and The
Signal: Digital Preservation, the blog about Digital Preservation from
The Library of Congress.

Another resource is a series of articles published on the FamilySearch Blog, Preserving Your
Family History Records Digitally—Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

It’s important for us to be aware of what we are creating using what technology. It’s important to realize that in 5, 10, or more years, those formats may become obsolete and/or inaccessible. We need to try, as much a possible, to “future proof” any items of historical significance that we store in a particular media.

After all, we do want our descendants to be able to share in the rich
history that we have archived and are actively creating right now.

If you
have found a resource that’s really helped you as you navigate the world of
preserving now obsolete media, please do share that with us!

Editor's Note: after 1st posting without a title -- one has now been added

NGS does not
imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this
blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not
necessarily reflect the view of NGS.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Republication
of UpFront articles is permitted and encouraged for
non-commercial purposes without express permission from NGS. Please drop us a
note telling us where and when you are using the article. Express written
permission is required if you wish to republish UpFront articles
for commercial purposes. You may send a request for express written permission
to UpFront@ngsgenealogy.org. All
republished articles may not be edited or reworded and must contain the
copyright statement found at the bottom of each UpFront article.

Followers

Please email all article submissions, suggestions, questions, and comments about this blog to the UpFront Editor at UpFront@NGSgenealogy.org.

The opinions, articles, and statements expressed herein are solely for the use of our readers. Neither the reviews nor the reports may be used in advertising or for any commercial purpose. NGS and the authors disclaim any liability, loss, or risk, personal or otherwise that is or may be incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and applications of any of the products, techniques, and technologies mentioned herein. NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog.

The materials on this UpFront blog are under copyright of the National Genealogical Society. Permission for sharing or reprinting postings contained in this UpFront blog is required. Requests for permission should be e-mailed to UpFront@NGSgenealogy.org, along with the date of posting and the title of the article you wish to share or reprint elsewhere.